1. Senate Working Group on Online Education Interim Report to Faculty Senate November 14, 2012

2. Working Group Members David Alexander (Chair) Margaret Beier John Greiner Don Johnson Kirsten Ostherr Fred Oswald Matt Taylor (Implementation WG liaison) Working Group Charge To evaluate the costs and benefits related to developing a strong online instructional presence at Rice, to issue recommendations on its implementation, and to address general policy issues related to online communication.

3. Key Points No policy recommendations are being made at this time Focused on development of guiding principles Identification of key issues common to online pedagogy Objective consideration of current approaches Drinking from the firehose SWG is working on processing vast quantities of info in a rapidly changing environment. Ideally we would do so at a slower pace, but we also need to be responsive to the fact that if we wait, there are some advantages to be lost.

4. Guiding Principles Quality of online components is paramount Enhance students' on-campus experience Maintain key elements of Rice uniqueness Protect and enhance Rice brand Provide broader access to high-quality education

5. Major Common Issues Certification Transfer credit Accreditation Investment in resources for development, implementation, oversight and improvement Flexibility to respond to rapidly changing environment

6. Rice Online Rice should develop a multifaceted high-quality online presence that meets the needs of the students on campus and that, where appropriate, can be scaled for use by a broader population off-campus. This can be realized by the combination of an investment in and enhancement of existing resources and selective partnership with outside entities. Potential Partners Coursera 2U: Professional Masters & Semester Online edX Others

7. Prof. Masters degree program Semester Online Sync. & Async content Innovative interface Small class sizes Multiple sections Exclusive partnership for specific program Growth in # of sections 10 consortium members $100 M in Venture Capital 33

8. WG plans for Spring semester Identify required resources Define 'Rice quality' wrt online presence Develop guiding principles and values Consider creation of a Faculty Advisory Committee Make recommendations on resources by February Make general recommendations by end of semester